bars.

[Fred Sturm]

I'll just repeat here what I have written a couple times previous, and
which others have confirmed. Crumb's music for inside the piano was
written at the model L in his office. The layout of the strings
(particularly the bass break) makes many of his effects specific to this
or similar model pianos (eg, Steinway M, Baldwin M). A model D (or A or
B) Steinway is problematic for many effects. So if it were me, I would
inform the powers that be (starting lower on the totem pole with piano
faculty, and pointing out in a couple scores how this is so - Vox
Balaenae and Makrokosmos are good) that an alternate piano would serve
the purpose better. (And, BTW, it is likely that a small Yamaha or Kawai
might _not_ be a good alternate, due to cross struts at the far side of
the dampers. Makes it hard to obtain 5th partials and to do "chisel on
the strings" among other problems).

Best luck,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico

A440A@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Greetings,
>    Crumb has come to Vanderbilt, and the head of the music department is
> telling me that the plate strut needs to come out of one of the concert
> pianos, so the strings can be "strummed" for a student performance.
>    This looks like some peril, and a lot of retuning.  I do know that one of
> these bars will not go back in unless the tension is dropped a WHOLE lot.
> Anybody got any info that will help me convince them it would be cheaper to
> move one of our B's in, instead of destabilizing the concert pianos?
> Regards,
> Ed Foote RPT